The Puppeteer
by x-Yuuchan
Summary: PLEASE NOTE. This story has been moved to my new LiveJournal account. To read, please visit http://xx-yuuchan./. It's under the tag, "Puppeteer." Thanks for reading!
1. Chapter 1

Edited... yet again. Will I ever get you right, Kio? You're such a pain!

And I don't even want to TALK about Nisei, got that? *fume*  
I think maybe I fixed him. Least he's not giggling anymore ¬ . ¬.

* * *

For a few brief moments, Seimei sat staring at the shattered window from which he'd just escaped. How vexing everything was, he thought with a scowl; without an audience, would Ritsuka have answered differently? Would Ritsuka have committed himself entirely, without question, to his elder brother? Perhaps. If that was the case, whose fault was it that Seimei was, again, separated from the only person he really cared about?

The traitor. Soubi. It was his fault; there was no question. And if he thought he could just go ahead and ruin everything without punishment—

"Seimei!" a voice cut into his thoughts. "Seimei... why didn't you come when I called you? They caught me, and it was hell to get free... what are you doing? And where's the brat and that..." he paused for a moment, searching for the perfect word to describe Soubi. He found there was nothing quite negative enough to do the job, so he trailed off right there.

"Inside," Seimei replied, nodding towards the broken window and completely ignoring his fighter's initial question. "We should get going. Even Seven is smart enough to have some plan by now to find us..."

"What about the blond?" Nisei questioned, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "I knocked 'im out earlier. I think he's with the brat and... eh, him."

"... Soubi?" Seimei questioned, his interest piqued. He focused his eyes on "the blond" and simply stared for a moment. "Grab him. We'll take him with."

Nisei rolled his eyes. "You're joking, right? Seimei, he's powerless. He's useless. I was thinking of something like... I don't know, tossing him into a lake, cutting him into pieces... It doesn't really matter how we kill him, I figure it'll still affect, y'know, your former fighter. I'd like to see his face when—"

"No," Seimei cut his fighter off, turning to make his way to the exit. "Grab him. We have to get going."

Already, the gears in his mind were working; there were so many ways to get into Soubi's head through this kid. Ways better than simply drowning him or cutting him into pieces. So much better...

* * *

"Ugh..." Kio groaned, rolling over. He was in a bed... he'd fallen asleep on concrete, he was sure of it. Or rather, he was knocked out cold onto concrete. It took a moment for that realization to sink in, but once it did, he sat bolt upright. "What the fuck?"

He was in a hotel. He wasn't alone, either; and he wasn't with either Soubi or Ritsuka. He was with... two strangers, it seemed.

"Hey Seimei! Sleeping beauty here finally woke up!" a long, black haired, very bored-looking male called from next to the bed. He seemed familiar, though Kio's head still felt fuzzy... he stared intently, trying to put a name to his face. He got multiple scornful faces in response.

"Did he?" another dark-haired male, completely uninterested, yawned from over a book. They both seemed to be waiting for something. And then, it happened.

"You!" Kio gaped at the long-haired one, his bewildered expression quickly disappearing to be replaced with one of pure hatred as the events of the night before rushed back. He remembered a meeting that had concluded with pain, and then the black abyss of unconsciousness. "And you... Seimei... you're the one that fucked up my Soubi, aren't you?"

There was silence for a moment, until the long haired one snickered. "Nisei. It's Nisei, not 'you!' Got it?" he corrected. From Seimei, there was no response. That irked Kio, even more than Nisei's overall obnoxious personality.

"Are you going to take responsibility?" Kio snapped, untangling himself from his sheets and stumbling from the bed, certainly not helping himself with an imposing first impression. The walls span and his head throbbed, but he ignored it, glaring at Seimei.

"For what?" Seimei said bluntly, turning the page, a passive expression on his face. "I've detached myself entirely from him. I feel no remorse for a traitor."

"Traitor? You're the one who up and left!" Kio retorted, practically swaying from the dizziness. Nisei stared at him with a look of mischief. His expression stoic, he prodded at Kio's side, snorting as Kio tipped to an unsustainable angle, then toppled over.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Kio groaned, rubbing his head and glaring at his attacker. "I'll strangle you, I swear I will."

"Don't physically injure our guest, Nisei," Seimei looked up briefly. "I have plans for him. Don't screw them up."

Nisei made a face, standing and brushing himself off. "That's all fine and well," he huffed, walking over to the closet by the door and fishing around for his jacket. "But you realize you haven't really done anything with me since we left the old lady's house? Ah, whatever. There's no food in the mini-fridge." He shrugged the coat on, scooping a set of keys off of a small table by the door. "I'm going to the convenience store."

He opened the door, turning to glare for a moment at Kio, then stepped out. Kio was acutely aware of the sound of the latch clicking when the door was closed, as if he'd been encased in a cage with only Seimei as a companion.

"Are you going to stand up?" Seimei asked after a long, insufferable silence. "You look pitiful sitting there on the floor."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass," Kio huffed, turning to stare poisonously. "My head hurts."

"Too bad. Nisei can be rough at times," Seimei shrugged, flipping a page in his book. "It's not like you put up much of a fight, though. You're weak."

"You're one to talk! Before, you just hid behind Soubi, and now you're hiding behind what's-his-face. You're a coward," Kio snarled, his temper flaring again. He sat up abruptly, wincing as his vision fogged slightly and his head ached with extra intensity for a moment. Seimei replied with a smug little smile; Kio couldn't help but want to tear him to shreds and feed his remains to starved hyenas.

"I never said I wasn't a coward," the man shrugged, flipping another page. "But what does that make you?" Kio stared, unsure of how to decipher that.

"As far as I'm concerned..." he muttered, "that doesn't make me anything."

Seimei shook his head with a small sigh. "You weren't there all those times I put Soubi directly in danger. You didn't even attempt to stop me. You just let it happen. Is that not the mark of a coward?" he questioned. And despite himself, Kio felt his heart skip a beat. That was true, wasn't it? But he couldn't help it... "And where were you last night as I tore the poor man's heart to pieces? Outside in the parking lot. Pitiful." He shut his book, setting it beside him and repositioning himself comfortably.

"Don't be stupid. How could I stop him? And yesterday, I tried to follow him, but your little pet stopped me. I was unconscious," Kio snapped, sitting up the rest of the way and massaging his temples. He had to get rid of his headache... he couldn't even think right. And why did he feel so miserable, so pressured? What was Seimei doing?

"If you truly cared about 'your Soubi,'" Seimei said slowly, leaning forward slightly, his mouth smiling but his eyes passive, "you would have found a way. If you just make excuses for your faults, you'll never get closer to him. Have you ever asked: what exactly have I been living for? Do you have any goals? Certainly not to get closer to Soubi, I'm sure, or you'd be putting forth more tangible effort."

"Sticks and stones," Kio huffed, unconvincingly. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and he couldn't breathe. "You're just messing with me..."

"Am I? Or am I just stating the truth?" Seimei shrugged. "Or maybe a little of both. It doesn't matter, though. You're easily read, like a book, you know. You've told me nothing about your relationship with 'your Soubi,' but I know. Every little reaction, every pause, every flash of uncertainty. You want to be more than friends." Kio froze. It was no secret, but... still, it shocked him, somehow. "But he doesn't share the thought. He hardly shows any interest in you as a friend. And my brother has known him for mere weeks, correct? Already, they're so much closer than you'll ever be to him. You're useless. As you are now, there's no way the Soubi I once knew would accept you."

Kio knew he shouldn't believe a single word that this man spouted, but he felt his heart being twisted and manipulated. He couldn't help it. Seimei was right about him; Kio was useless. Absolutely weak. He couldn't protect his body, much less his mind, from attacks. "I can't help it," he protested weakly. "I'm who I am. And he's accepted me this much already... if I keep at it—"

"No. It doesn't matter how long you work at this cause, without outside help, it's hopeless. But you know, once a toy is broken, it can be fixed and in the process... augmented?" Seimei spoke as if there were a grave meaning behind his words, but it slipped past Kio, undetected. Soubi shook his head, smirking. "Just let me break you. I can fix you, then, and augment you appropriately. The Ritsuka you know wasn't always as happy as he is now; before I left him heartbroken, he was shy and soft-spoken. But he fixed himself to fill the mold of someone happier and more social. Do you understand?"

Kio, at this point, was feeling the full effect of Seimei's words. He felt as though he was being pressed by some unseen weight into the ground. His heart, too... his heart was bruised and bleeding, and he didn't know what to do. "I don't need you to... break me," he snapped, gripping his hair in his fists to distract himself from the pain in his chest.

"So you're okay with being alone?" Seimei shook his head. "A sad existence. But Soubi, I truly worry about him. How long will it be before he tosses his toy away, I wonder? And then who will watch over him, my little brother? My little, sixth-grade brother? I think not. You're so selfish, thinking only about yourself..."

"Okay!" Kio groaned, leaning forward and folding into himself. He pressed his hands ineffectively over his ears.

"'Okay' what?" Seimei pressed, a smug expression on his face.

"Break me," Kio murmured, his voice muffled due to his awkward position. He was speaking into his lap. "Break me. Tear me to fucking pieces. Just stop, please..."

Seimei smiled. He picked his book back up, triumphant. "Go back to bed," he suggested. "You're tired."

But Kio didn't move for the longest time. He simply sat numbly, listening to the rustling of the pages in Seimei's book as he read. Eventually, he stood, head drooped, and fell numbly on top of the covers, but even then he couldn't sleep. He was capable only of staring dumbly at the ceiling in a state somewhat comparable to sleep, his mind not conjuring a single thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Just so you all know, this took forever to write. So feel for me a bit, would you? D:

And did you guys know that, apparently, in the true plot Kio is really kidnapped? It'll be in book nine. I didn't see it coming, I swear. But I kinda feel like some kinda prophet. Bow to me! xD.

As for worthwhile updates to fill you in on, finals are soon so I don't know when my next update will be. But you waited long enough for this one, that's no shocker. x _ x.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Soubi stated for what had to have been the eighth time that night.

"It's _fine_," Ritsuka repeated, once again, between clenched teeth. "Please, Soubi, I'm tired. I want to sleep. Kio will be fine, Seimei wouldn't hurt him. He's my brother…"

That wasn't true. Ritsuka knew it as well as Soubi; they were empty words, but better than nothing. Still, Soubi wasn't satisfied.

"I'm sorry," he said again, and probably would have repeated the sentiment if Ritsuka didn't bury himself in blankets and make some inhumanly irritated grunt. He almost apologized for that, too, but caught himself just in time.

"Please, Soubi," came Ritsuka's voice, muffled almost to a point of inaudibility by the fabric. "We can think about it tomorrow. But I don't want to think right now, I want to sleep. I'm confused. I don't want to think. And don't you _dare_ apologize."

And he didn't. A silence stretched over the room, leaving only the sound of Ritsuka's breathing. Soubi simply watched as the sheets rose and fall, steadily, until it became apparent that Ritsuka had finally fallen asleep. But he still wasn't sure. Was it any better right now, resting? Or would his dreams be full of Seimei?

Dreading the thought of having that man haunt his dreams on a night that was already depressing enough to last a good month, Soubi simply rested his head against the wall behind him, his hands gently ghosting up and down Ritsuka's side in a stroking motion.

Was it a fair exchange? Ritsuka had chosen to stay, which had been such a relief that Soubi could practically feel the weight on his chest dissolve. But then Kio. Innocent, unrelated Kio. What had he done? Nothing! _I can never win_, Soubi thought, biting his lip. His hand paused its trip down Ritsuka's side, taking a handful of sheets and just holding them, for lack of anything else to hold. _Even my victories are dragged down by losses. I've never been anything but loyal…so why?_

He'd even broken the window. He was the one that let Seimei go. It was his fault, then, right? Logic pointed the blame straight at him. If he'd just resisted, if he'd just gone against an order for once, none of this would have happened.

But he had Ritsuka, he reminded himself, his eyes slipping back to the rise and fall of the blankets. He couldn't lose Ritsuka. Kio could take care of himself; he wasn't stupid, he wouldn't make any bad choices. But Ritsuka wasn't so wise.

With a deep breath, Soubi slid down, covering himself with blankets and inching closer and closer to the sleeping Sacrifice. Being as subtle as physically possible, he wrapped himself around the unconscious boy, figuring he couldn't possibly dream about Seimei with Ritsuka so close. An angel to counter the devil himself. In such a comfortable position, sleep was only so far away; the last thing Soubi thought before he drifted into sleep was that he could feel Ritsuka's heartbeat, pumping in step with his own.

* * *

"Seimei…" Ritsuka muttered, still half-unconscious. He could feel someone's hand stroking his hair. "Don't make me wake up yet, I'm still tired."

"Sorry, Ritsuka," stated a voice that was distinctly _not_ Seimei's replied, shattering Ritsuka's comfortable dream quite effectively. "It's time to go."

Ritsuka tried to salvage his dream, but with no luck. Seimei was gone. Reluctantly, he let his eyes drift open and focus on a fully-clothed Soubi sitting next to him on the bed.

"Do you ever sleep?" he questioned bitterly. "I was dreaming."

"Don't," Soubi said bluntly. "You have reality to worry about. So don't."

If Ritsuka didn't know better, he'd have sword he heard _jealousy_ in that statement. He examined Soubi's empty expression, then slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"What're we going to do?" he asked eventually. "I'm ready to think now." Unfortunately, ready and willing are two entirely different things; he evasively examined items in the room, hoping that he'd strike gold and Soubi would do all the thinking for him.

No such luck.

"What do you want to do?" Soubi asked bluntly. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it. Just ask."

Ritsuka groaned, slipping his legs out from under the covers and standing. "I don't know," he admitted without a moment's hesitation. "I just don't."

"You said you were ready to think," Soubi reminded him gently, watching as he made his way to the bedside table where Nagisa had stacked a change of clothes.

"I am. But I don't know where to start," Ritsuka explained. "There's too much. We should find Kio, of course, but I don't want to see Seimei. Because if I see him, I don't know if I'll ever see… the rest of my friends ever again." He caught himself before he said '_you_,' careful not to let Soubi's ego bloat too much.

"Then I'll look for Kio," Soubi shrugged, watching Ritsuka's face carefully, gauging his reaction. "I'll leave you at home." He watched as Ritsuka's muscles tensed and noted that he continued unfolding and refolding his clothes as if the ritual were normal, trying to make himself look busy.

"It's half my fault," he stated. A lie, in Soubi's book, though the child really did believe that. "If you're going to look for him, I am, too. Got it?" He snatched the shirt off the top of the pile, turned away, then pulled off the shirt from the night before, hastily replacing it as if he had something to hide underneath his clothes. Soubi just smiled at the naive action, shaking his head.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I understand. And Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka turned, titling his head slightly. "Mm?"

"I won't let him have you."

The poor boy's eyes widened to the size of saucer's, and, touchy as always, he chucked the shirt he'd just taken off at Soubi's face, then whipped around to face the wall again. "Shut up, stupid Soubi," he snapped, smoothing his already-smooth shirt. His face was red up to his ears.

The shirt hit its mark then landed in Soubi's lap, where he folded it gingerly, still smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Plot-plan revised!

Soubi and Ritsuka are easier, Yuuchan is lazy... ergo, this little story is gonna revolve almost entirely around them until I revise the first chapter into something more easily continued. At that point I'll toss those two, Seimei and Kio, back into the plot. Sorry for any disappointment, I know Seimei x Kio (to me) is absolute love, but hey, at least you get some Soubi x Ritsuka?

Also: finals are almost finished. Hey, you guys, subscribe and/or review? Please?

* * *

"You're leaving already?" Nagisa asked, resting her chin lazily on Ritsu's bed next to his head. She occasionally reached out to touch his hair and coo at how soft it was, and sometimes she even poked gently at the bandages across his eyes as if she needed to prove to herself that such a terrible thing could have happened to her Ritsu-sensei. Dark circles under her eyes suggested that she hadn't slept, and Ritsuka assumed she hadn't left the infirmary at all except to deliver his clothes. He bit the inside of his lip; he couldn't help but think, maybe, Ritsu's injury was partially his fault; his thoughts kept slipping back to the message that was left on the wall for him. _I'm back, Ritsuka_.

"Well, yeah," he interrupted his own thoughts, smoothing his hair. "It's Kio. I don't know if you met him or not, but we don't know where he is, and we think maybe—"

"We think he left for home without us," Soubi cut in. Ritsuka glanced at him skeptically, but fell silent. "So we're following. He's really useless on his own."

Nagisa grunted, focusing on Ritsuka. Her current impression of Soubi was rather negative; not only had he let Seimei go, an automatic reason to hate him, he'd also spent the entire night whining about everything and spouting "I don't wanna!" every time she asked him to do something. He had issues in the head. And when she came to deliver the clothes that morning, she'd seen him clinging to Ritsuka like the poor kid was an overgrown Teddy—Ritsu had rubbed off on him, no doubt. She liked to remember little Soubi as the cute innocent boy he used to be, but hell, he'd grown up all _wrong_. She quirked an eyebrow at Ritsuka, and couldn't help but think that, maybe, history was repeating itself.

"Well, listen," she huffed, turning back to stare at Ritsu's sleeping face. "If the old man were awake, I know he'd tell you this... Ritsuka, enroll. You don't have to _now_, you don't even have to do it _soon_, just think about it? Soubi isn't your Fighter. If you're with us, we can find your real Fighter. Soubi showed us last night where his loyalties lie."

Ritsuka noted Soubi's reactions carefully, watching him from the corner of his eye. At first, the older male simply stared at the wall, perhaps somewhat nervous but at the same time probably trying to convince himself he was confident that Ritsuka would answer the same way he had countless times before. But at the last comment, when Nagisa dared question his loyalty, he tensed, his nerves on end.

"Stop that," Ritsuka snapped immediately, his tail sweeping agitatedly behind him. Normally, a simple_ no _would suffice, but he couldn't help but respond to Soubi's negative reaction. _"_He apologized, okay? I don't know if you heard him, but I heard him clear—all eighty or so times, thank you. He didn't want to. You couldn't understand that. And as far as I'm concerned, he _is_ my real Fighter. Besides, if you keep repeating the same reasoning over and over, you'll become less and less persuasive each time."

Having trampled her argument completely, Ritsuka turned on his heel, dragging Soubi to the door. "So, bye. We're leaving." Nagisa opened her mouth to protest, but they were really already out the door before she managed to jumble together a response in her head, and it was obviously too late then.

Soubi blinked, following obediently. He said nothing, for lack of anything to say; Ritsuka's outburst was quite self-explanatory, really. Finally, Ritsuka broke the silence.

"She acted like everything was your fault," he spat, his ears pressed back against his head. "I mean, you broke the window, but Onii-chan _asked_ you to, right? That's not reason enough for her, but she doesn't know him. If he stayed, they would have done something really bad..." he paused. "Is it a good thing he escaped, Soubi? Or is he going to..." his ears drooped slightly, not pressed quite so angrily against his head. Finally, he finished the sentence, "kill more?"

After that, there was no answer. Silence was Soubi's response. Ritsuka couldn't tell if he was just thinking, or if he didn't want to answer; but one glance at his passive face showed that he was purposefully pondering anything _but_ that.

"He's not. Right?" he tensed, his ears drooping even more. Desperately, he turned to cling onto Soubi's sleeve, stepping in front of him so they couldn't progress any further until the question was answered. "I told him I was mad. So that's that, right? He'll stop so I can forgive him, and things can go back to how they were?"

Soubi said nothing again, staring evasively at the wall. "Ritsuka. We have to keep moving," he murmured eventually, stepping around the small child. Ritsuka dropped his sleeve, and turned to watch him as he walked away—and for a split second, he was convinced Soubi would just leave him if he didn't move. His heart skipped a beat, and panic flooded his head; he was convinced he was reliving the time when Seimei had left. He didn't want to always be chasing anyone anymore, he told himself, his feet rooted to the ground. He didn't want to chase Soubi, but he didn't want to be left behind, either...

But then, Soubi turned to stare expectantly, and a ten-ton block of pressure simply slipped off of Ritsuka's chest. He let out a huge breath of air, composing himself.

"Hey! Don't walk so fast, your legs are longer than mine," he spat, as if the huge gap between them could possibly be explained by their differing paces. He jogged to catch up, snatching Soubi's sleeve again and sticking his nose in the air. "I'm just going to have to hold on to you to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Behind his irritated mask, though, he was light as a feather. He thought that, maybe, if his brother was going to leave... he was happy that he had Soubi, still. But he couldn't help but imagine, just for a second, a world where he could be together with Seimei _and_ Soubi. A smile slipped past his flawless disguise, but he wiped it off hastily, hoping Soubi hadn't seen.

When they arrived, the woman at the front desk examined them carefully and explored their bags and coats, as if she thought they were somehow affiliated with the mysterious team that had infiltrated the night before. After holding them hostage there for what seemed like ages, the woman finally released them, though a hint of suspicion lingered on her features. They probably didn't get visitors often, Seven Voices Academy, so she really did have reason to be skeptical of visitors coming and leaving at such a high-stress time. Ritsuka hadn't released Soubi's arm once during the inspection.

The car was parked nearby outside, so once they escaped the paranoid secretary, the walk was short. Ritsuka finally let his prisoner go, grudgingly walking around the car and sitting in the passenger seat. Soubi took up his station behind the wheel, not speaking a single word and effectively driving Ritsuka mad in the silent void.

"Where are we going?" he asked eventually.

"Shouldn't I be asking you?" Soubi answered with a question, inserting the key into the car and turning it until the engine purred to life. "You've been ready to think since this morning."

Ritsuka winced. So he really, truly wasn't getting any help?

"I know, but I only know the Onii-chan side of Seimei. You know the other side," Ritsuka responded. "Where would he go?"

Soubi, again, failed to respond. He hadn't known Seimei well, himself. No one did, not really. And in fact, even if there was so much he didn't know, Soubi couldn't help but think maybe Ritsuka was the one who knew the most about the mysterious Beloved.

"I don't... know," he admitted after a long, painful pause. Ritsuka grunted loudly, turning to stare out the window.

"I'm hungry," he grumbled, dropping the subject and forgiving Soubi's fault without verbalizing the sentiment. The meaning was clear enough in his tone. Soubi glanced at him, shocked as always that such a child could be related so closely with a demon like Seimei. "Let's go get something from the convenience store. Donuts. Something."

Soubi pressed his foot on the accelerator, then, the car slowly easing from its space. Ritsuka watched out the window, admiring silently Soubi's driving skills. He seemed to be good at absolutely everything...

"Let's share one, okay?" he blurted, his eyes following the trees that lined the academy's long, long driveway as they passed them. "A donut. Let's share one."

"I don't like donuts," Soubi stated bluntly. Ritsuka ignored him.

"We can get a chocolate one with sprinkles," he offered, turning to watch the road in front. And then he tested the water curiously, tossing Seimei into the equation. "Me and Seimei used to do that. He'd buy me a chocolate donut with sprinkles, I mean. But I'd never finish it, and he'd take the other half..."

"If you don't finish it, then," Soubi decided abruptly, his hands tightening slightly on the wheel. "If you don't finish it, I'll eat the rest."

Ritsuka smiled. He was beginning to understand Soubi, just a little.

"... Double sprinkles, okay?" he leaned back, staring idly at the ceiling of the car. "Double chocolate, too. Extra big." He felt in the back of his mind that, regardless of where they got it or what it was made of, this donut was going to taste better than any he'd ever eaten with Seimei.


End file.
